Directional Siren - Ten Years On

[BarMoo]

I wonder if any of you remember this being featured on Tomorrow's world back in 1996. Thankfully, I managed to record the feature and later dumped it onto minidisc.

Its had some remedial audio tweaking via PC - and is available as an MP3 to listen to again today.

Sadly, ten years on, the wailings of those crass US style sirens still prevail.

Apparently, the 'new' (white noise) siren didn't get emergency service workers 'pepp'd-up enough' by the time they reached their emergency - so the idea was dropped.

I suspect it was more to do with ego than service: firemen in the fifties with their clappy bell still managed to put out fires ;)

Whatever, the idea has had success in directional smoke alarm systems; but, I think that is about it.

It was plucky of the Leeds ambulance service to trial it back then - and its sad (IMHO) that the UK couldn't fix something that was and still is broke by applying it across all services.

Read more about this dead idea, here http://www.pulseplanet.com/archive/May96/1249.html

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[rolfw]

I seem to remember hearing them relatively recently, they certainly got one's attention.

Not sure if they still use them now.

 

[PaulR]

Agree that it's a pity that they aren't used as I'm frequently not sure which way the emergency vehicles are travelling. I also seem to remember that on the programme the individual bursts were of longer duration and that the white noise was about half, or less, long as the yelping noise.

 

[BarMoo]

Quite possibly Paul - but I didn't tweek anything honest 2 Just removed the MiniDisc analogue noise between the bursts.

Mabe my video recorder was running fast?, lol.

Sweet that you and rolf appreciate this noise too, LOL ;-))

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